How do wet/dry filters work?

Seattle206

Seattle206

lets get blown...
Oct 27, 2004
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Seattle, WA
hello:


I am wondering how wet/dry filters work. I hear that they are used for larger tanks. Well I have a 180gal running on 2 eheim 2126's, 2 penguin 330's, and 2 large sponge's. I'm thinking of getting a wet/dry setup soon but I really have no idea of how it works. I see pictures of coral/plants in the wet/dry filter in some pictures. Whats the deal with that? I assume that wet/dry's are pretty expensive maybe around $300? What else do you need to run the filter? You can never over filter when you have messy fish. Can somebody please shed some light on wet/dry's?
 
Conventional submerse biofilters operate with the nitrification bacteria in the water column, just like the fish. This means that they are dependent on the dissolved oxygen in the water, just as are the fish. When you add the heterotrophic bacteria working on all the partculate but still organic waste in the filter, plus the biofilter bugs working on the dissolved organic waste, this is no small oxygen demand. It is apart of all conventional (submerse) filtration, so we deal with it.

In a W/D, the tank water is prefiltered to remove particulates (will not suffocate the biofilter bugs) and then dispersed by means of spraybars or drip plates onto bacteria-coated material (bioballs are an example) which are wet with the dripping or spraying water. They are covered with only a film of water in a surronding airspace. This allows the bacteria to respire (use oxygen) independent of the O2 in the tank water column, but exchanging with the air in the "dry" (it is not really, it is just not submerse) part of the filter. The "wet" part of the filter is the prefilter and the space below the "tower" where water is collected to be pumped back to the tank - which may have chemical media, heater, CO2 apparatus for planted tanks, various other supplements added in SW, etc. The slow and slight exchage of the air in the "tower" or "dry" part of the filter avoids the filter's use of so much water colum O2, plus provides a near ideal home for the biobacteria - bathed constantly with a thin film of nutrient-rich and oxygen-rich water, with no danger of suffocation by particulate debris.

BTW, biowheels are also W/D filters -just operating partially submerse to provide the water column access, and partially emerse to provide the air/O2.
 
hey thankx RTR for enlightening me of the subject. Do any og you guys know where I can purchase them? I mean do normal fish stores carry them?
 
mine does, but they're pretty pricey (300-400 i think, i know they're too much to look closely at hehe) i've heard stories of people making them out of bucket(s) though, maybe you could look for plans?
 
Aquacrylics

I saw great prices at Aquacrylics online, also units are sold on Ebay and Aquabid all the time.

Remember to get an overflow unit if your tank is not drilled, and add the cost of a pump, be sure whether bioballs are included, also sponges and other stuff may need replaceing in an old unit.

I got a wet/dry free with a used tank but spent $70 getting pump and tubing return and micron pad.
 
Seattle206 said:
hey thankx RTR for enlightening me of the subject. Do any og you guys know where I can purchase them? I mean do normal fish stores carry them?
Click to expand...
you can buy them buy why not make one?? A LOT cheeper as long as you get how they work.

try this if you want to make one.
www.sydneycichlid.com/diybtf.html
 
That's some good info. I was having a hard time finding out how they work as well. The prices are high, but most systems I have looked at also include a skimmer, which I don't have, and most skimmers alone are in the $200 range.

The system I think Is a great deal is this onehttp://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3624&ref=3055&subref=AC&N=2004+22778

And here is the website of the manufacturerhttp://www.proclearaquaticsystems.com/

I also noticed that on this system it also comes with a hang on overflow, which most systems you pay extra for.
 
Lol @ my avatar. It's a mouse.

blitzen25bm- I'm sorry if my avatar affended you.

I'll change to a more G rated picture. :)
 
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